Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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329. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the outcome of the most recent discussions he had at EU level in relation to the need to reduce the regulatory burden and unnecessary paper-work on farmers participating in different schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45755/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Achieving a reduction of the regulatory burden and reducing any unnecessary paperwork for farmers has been a key objective of mine at European level. There is no denying that the New Delivery Model for the CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) has added complexity for farmers, and, in discussions at the Council of Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers, I have consistently called for the EU to embrace simplification as an ongoing project with a focus on an effective CAP that places farmers firmly at the centre.

Earlier this year, the European Commission introduced some changes to the CSP Regulation with the aim of reducing the administrative burden for farmers. These changes cover a number of areas, including simplifications to the basic Conditionality Standards. Some of these elements were implemented immediately, such as an exemption from controls and penalties under the CAP conditionality for 20,000 small farmers farming on less than 10 hectares. Other elements needed to be tailored to the Irish context through an amendment to the CSP. This was the subject of a consultation with the CSP Monitoring Committee in October and has now been submitted to the European Commission.

The Commission is continuing its work in this area, seeking views of farmers on the administrative burden through online surveys and interviews with farmers and stakeholders. It is proposing further work to assess the impact of the CAP new delivery model on administrations and farmers.

I am committed to meaningful simplification for farmers, both for the current five-year CSP and for future CAP reform. My Department has already made large scale and impactful improvements to reduce the administrative burden on farmers, including through digital platforms, area monitoring to reduce on-farm inspections, support for farmers through helpdesks and in-person clinics.